Can't Stand the Rain
by Interstellar Overdrive
Summary: YAOI. Genzo x Karl. A night during a rain storm changes Karl and Genzo's lives forever.
1. Chapter 1

Genzo Wakabayashi leaned back in his comfy lounge chair on the shaded patio of his 1st floor condominium, which overlooked a small lake. He was reading a letter from one of his old friends back in Nankatsu, Tsubasa Oozora. The raven haired goalkeeper smiled as he read. He was thrilled when he found out Japan was going to be participating in the U-17 tournament. Not only would he see his childhood friends again, but they'd see what a great goalkeeper he'd become. And Tsubasa would finally play against Hamburg's forward, Karl Heinz Schneider, Genzo's best friend in Germany.

Funny, Genzo hadn't anticipated he'd have that close a friendship with Karl, as he was probably Genzo's toughest rival to date. He was just as good a striker as Tsubasa or Hyuga. Maybe even better. But there was something about Karl that Genzo couldn't put his finger on. On the soccer field, Karl was a fierce striker. His athletic ability, agility and superior skills made him quite a formidable opponent. Off the field, however, he was somewhat on the quiet side, kind, and a devoted friend. Very different from his self-assured, 'footballer' persona. Aside from that, though, Karl didn't seem much different than his other friends. But what was it about Schneider that made Genzo feel about him the way he did? He _wasn't_ like his other friends, whether here or in Japan; Tsubasa, Misaki and Kaltz were good friends too, only…..he wasn't sure why he felt differently about Karl, or exactly _what_ he felt. He just knew Karl was different.

As he pondered this, thunder rumbled overhead, and the wind picked up considerably. All day at practice, dark, gloomy rainclouds threatened to downpour at any moment. It wasn't until they were just about finished, that Genzo felt the first drops of rain on his head. Now, this light rained had suddenly turned into a heavy downpour. As he watched the rain from the comfort of his patio, a telephone ring interrupted his thoughts. He picked up the cordless next to him and answered – 'Hello?'

"Genzo? This is Mrs. Schneider, Karl's mother." A middle-aged woman's voice spoke. "Have you seen him?"

"No…no, I haven't." Genzo replied. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Yes – Karl still hasn't come home, and practice has been over for almost _2 hours_. Did he say anything about going anywhere after practice?"

Genzo tensed up, afraid to tell the worried mother on the other end of the line, but….. "I'm sorry, but...Karl wasn't at practice today…"

"He _wasn't?? _Where could he be??" said Mrs. Schneider, the poor woman close to hysterics. She knew the pending divorce would be difficult for Karl, but she never thought he would do something drastic, like run away…

"Please, don't worry - I'm sure he'll turn up. " He felt bad for her. Divorce was hard on everyone in a family… "I'll call Harry and ask if he's over there."

The overly-stressed mother sighed heavily. "I just did - no one answered, I just got a voicemail."

"Well, Harry will usually stop for a bite to eat on his way back from practice; Maybe he bumped into Karl along the way and they're having dinner."

"Maybe...I hope so, Genzo..." She replied.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine. I'll call you the second I hear from him." Genzo said, trying to assuage the woman's fears.

"Thank you Genzo – he's so lucky to have a friend like you."

Genzo smiled sadly. He told her again, not to worry, and she ended the call to go out and look for her son by car.

Genzo hung up the phone, his brow furrowed in concern. _Karl, where did you go? _He _knew_ there was something up when Karl didn't show up for practice. The coach didn't say anything about his absence, either. And Harry asked him about it, he just said Karl had a previous engagement, and he would be here tomorrow - that was it. He didn't say what this engagement was _about_. Odd. The coach made it seem like it was no big deal, but Genzo still had the feeling _something_ was wrong. And then when he spoke to his mother, who had no idea about his absence - Why didn't Karl tell her? What was going on? Now Genzo was _really _worried about his friend. The phone rang again, and Genzo hurriedly picked it up, hoping it was Karl.

"Hello?"

"Pizza delivery for a Genzo Wakabayashi" a college-aged man's bored voice answered.

"Oh, yeah..I'll be right there". Genzo replied, and hung up the phone. He went to the foyer and slipped his black house slippers on, relieved his pizza had arrived – he was _starving._ But his thoughts were still with Schneider. _He probably just went somewhere to be alone_, thought Genzo. Karl had been doing that a lot lately, ever since his parents announced that they were _really_ going through with the divorce. He was spending less time at home and more time at either Genzo's or Harry's. Genzo hoped that was the case; He hoped Karl was just with Harry, having dinner like he said he probably was. This was no time to be outside, what with a raging storm brewing.

Genzo went to answer the door of the very expensive condominium in which he lived (visitors had to call the person they were visiting to be allowed in). He walked down the softy lit hallway to the double-glass doors of the building entrance . Looking out, he saw how hard it was raining –– Genzo could barely see across the parking lot to the other building. And it was so dark outside, even though it was only 6:00.

To his surprise and utter relief, he also saw standing in front of the door, underneath the security of the eaves next to the pizza delivery guy, soaking wet and shivering from the rain – Karl Heinz-Schneider.

_Schneider…_ Genzo thought as he opened the door.

Schneider smiled shyly, still shivering from the cold rain. "H-hey, Genzo…I-I was just in the neighborhood…and I saw this was your complex, so…"

"Karl.." Genzo began, "come in before you freeze to death. " Karl smiled gratefully and brushed past the pizza delivery guy and went inside. Genzo paid the man and carried the large pizza to his apartment, the delicious aroma filling hallway. Karl's poor stomach growled – the blue-eyed forward hadn't eaten anything since that morning.

"Sorry, Genzo, I didn't stop by at a bad time, did I?" Karl asked.

Genzo shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Mr. Mikami is in Japan for a couple of weeks. I could really use the company".

"He let you stay here by _yourself?_" Karl asked, amazed Genzo had that much freedom.

"Why not? I'm 16 – I don't need a babysitter."

"Yeah, but..for _two weeks_? He's not worried you'll have girls over, or throw a party or something?"

Genzo laughed. "Not with my neighbors – they're too nosy. That's probably why Mr. Mikami trusted me; he knew I couldn't get away with anything." Actually, Mr. Mikami trusted Genzo because he knew he was much more mature than other teenagers. He often remarked to his colleagues that Genzo was '16 going on 25'. Mikami never had a student who was as focused as Genzo. He knew Genzo wouldn't do anything foolish or reckless to jeapordize his opportunity with Hamburg. Mikami had complete faith in this determined young man.

When they got to Genzo's apartment, Genzo slid off his slippers and headed for the kitchen. Karl, wanting to respect this custom Genzo brought from his home country, bent down on one knee and started to untie his sneakers, which were completely soaked. When he pulled them off (having to sit on the floor to do so), his socks were just as wet. A little embarrassed, he pulled those off as well. He sighed, now regretting going out when it was about to rain! But he just couldn't go home....

Genzo opened the pizza box sitting on the light, wood-grained kitchen table, when he noticed Karl wasn't there. When he turned around, he saw Karl in the foyer, shivering and taking off his rain drenched shoes and socks. Placing a couple of slices on a plate for Karl, Genzo turned and walked back to the foyer. Looking down at Karl, he asked, "do you want to change into some dry clothes? I'm not sure if my clothes will fit you, they'll probably be too big. But, at least you'll be dry."

Karl stood up. "Genzo, you don't have to do that. I'm fine". He said, folding his arms, obvious he was still cold.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're freezing. Go into the guest bathroom and I'll find something for you to wear. I'll put your wet clothes in the dryer."

Karl, obviously touched by Genzo's kindness, smiled and said, 'Thanks, Genzo. I'm sorry if I'm being too much trouble. I know I've been over a lot, lately. You're probably tired of me coming over all the time".

"Karl, don't worry about it. I told you, I could use the company." Actually, he liked having Karl over. He had gotten to know his friend a lot better in these past few months. Funny, he felt a little guilty – Karl was over here so much because of his problems at home. Should Genzo be happy Karl was here, even under such circumstances? "Besides, what are friends for?"

Again Karl smiled. "Thanks". He said softly, making Genzo tongue-tied for a moment. Snapping out of it – whatever _it_ was – Genzo said, stammering a bit -"Uh…yeah…well, like I said – go into the guest bedroom and I'll bring you some dry clothes."

Genzo went to his bedroom (the master bedroom in the very spacious apartment), opened the top center drawer in his long, antique oak dresser, and fished through his neatly folded clothes to try to find something for Schneider to wear. Unfortunately, all the clothes he had were too big for his friend. Then he remembered there were a bunch of clothes that he outgrew hanging in the guest bedroom closet. He'd look there.

Genzo walked from his bedroom to the guest room on the other side of the apartment. When he opened the door, he never expected he was in for such an event…

There, standing in front of the dresser, and clearly visible in the full length mirror – was a naked Karl Heinz-Schneider.

Karl had already peeled off his wet shirt and threw it in a nearby plastic clothes basket, his defined chest glistening, his ivory skin still a little wet from the rain. He unbuttoned his soaked jeans, and with a little difficulty, pulled down his jeans over his lightly muscled thighs, revealing his pale, tight ass. His reflection in the full-length mirror revealed the rest of his beautifully sculpted body, with smoothly defined muscles formed from hours upon hours of soccer training and playing. The mirror also revealed something else that Genzo had never seen except for his own, which made his heart beat even faster.

Genzo shut the door immediately, yet quietly, as to not startle Karl. But what was he doing in there, anyway? Genzo told him to use the guest _bath_room. Or did he say bedroom? He couldn't remember! All that was on his mind right now was Karl..._beautiful, naked Karl...._

Trying his damnedest to control himself, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Karl turned and asked, "Yes?"

"Hey, I - I forgot to tell you - there's some clothes that don't fit me anymore - hanging in the closet". Genzo said, the vision of Karl still in his minds eye as he tried to form a coherent sentence. "But - Genzo closed his eyes as he immediately thought of Karl's - he forced the thought out of his head - "They might fit you, though. You might find a pair of jeans and a shirt in there or something."

"Oh - okay, thanks, Gen." Karl replied, a little puzzled at the nervous sound of Genzo's voice.

Karl opened the closet door, walked in, and found a pair of jeans and a light blue t-shirt. Pulling on the loose fitting jeans, they actually fit him pretty well. He pulled the plain blue t-shirt over his head, the dry warmth feeling good against his skin after being in the cold, wet rain.

Genzo turned, his back leaning against the bedroom door, his eyes closed as the vision played over and over in his mind. Gods...Karl was...he was...so gorgeous...It was as if his body was classically sculpted from white marble, like a Greek statue come to life. He felt himself harden, thinking what he'd like to do to that body...

_Snap out of it! _his common sense scolded him. _This is Schneider for Gods' sake! You can't think **that** way about him! _Genzo shook his head, trying to bring himself back to reality.

As he made his way down the hall, Genzo tried to get a hold of himself. He didn't think he would have that strong a reaction to Karl…

_Now_ he knew...Now he knew what it was he felt for his friend. He was in love with him – he was in love with his best friend! He had to be - how many times had he and Karl showered after a game with their other teammates? Genzo had never felt anything – _anything –_ like he did just then. It was overwhelming. All he wanted to do was go in that room and…

Genzo sat down on the soft, plush light-grey couch, ran his hands through his thick, long-ish hair, and sighed. _Control yourself…._his better judgement told him. _He's your best friend..…_ He took another deep breath, when he heard a male voice say: "Genzo, are you alright?"

Genzo's head jerked up, startled to find Karl standing right there beside the couch. He had on a blue T-shirt, and the jeans Genzo had told him about. Although they were a little loose on him, they were snug enough to show the curve of his hips and a hint of what Genzo had seen just a moment ago.

"Yeah….of course…I'm fine…I'll – I'll go get us some pizza". The pizza by then had gotten lukewarm, so Genzo popped his plate with two slices of the thick, Chicago-style deep dish in the microwave. He heard Karl's soft bare footsteps behind him, heading toward the kitchen table. Genzo stiffened as he brushed past him.

After placing a couple slices on his plate, Karl sat down on one of the kichen chairs and started eating. He didn't care if they weren't hot enough – he was starving, and the delicious aroma was just too much. The storm continued to bear down outside, the thunder rumbling along with the sound of rain pounding on the lake. He watched the rain for a moment from the kitchen through the sliding glass doors leading to the patio. Turning back to Genzo, he looked at his friend thoughtfully, and asked, again – "Genzo, are you sure you're alright?"

The microwave beeped, signaling his pizza was warmed up. Genzo pressed the button that opened the microwave door, pulled out the plate, and placed it on the counter. He took a large bite of the pizza,(which was HOT). He dropped the hot slice on the plate, reached for a bottle of soda, took a slug before answering, quenching what felt like fire in his mouth. "Of course – why wouldn't I be?" he replied, trying to laugh it off. But he was still nervous as _hell._ He couldn't get the image of Schneider, naked, out of his head. He decided to change the subject. "Did I tell you I got a PS3?"

"N-no…." Karl, replied, puzzled at Genzo's odd behavior. Why in the world was he acting so nervous? Genzo Wakabayashi never got nervous. He never fumbled. _Ever._ Every thought, every movement, was done with complete surety. He never miscalculated a move when on the field, and never hesitated, even if he ended up missing the rare goal. So why was he acting so… so awkward? It wasn't like him…it wasn't like him at _all…._

"Yeah, it's really cool. There's this soccer game that's great – did you want to play?"

Karl shrugged. "Sure, why not? There's really nothing else to do, with this storm". With that statement, a loud thunder cracked through the sky, making both young men jump. Genzo and Karl looked at each other and laughed. Genzo smiled. "come on – we can eat in the living room".

After taking a few more slices of pizza, Genzo and Karl brought their dinner into the living room with them. Genzo turned on the black video game console and inserted the game disk.

He turned and walked back to the couch, leaving a large space inbetween he and Schneider. The two chose their teams and players, Genzo was Germany and Karl was Japan. And in this game, Genzo was the striker and Karl the goalkeeper. The two boys picked up their controllers, took a bit of pizza, a sip of soda pop, and the games began....

"_Damn_!" Genzo exclaimed as Karl stopped another of Genzo's virtual shoots. Karl chuckled. "Don't quit your day job, Wakabayashi." He said, taking a bit of pizza while effortlessly pressing the controller buttons repeatedly. He grinned as, unbeknownst to Genzo, Karl played this game a million times.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'll - SHIT!" Genzo again exclaimed, as Karl stopped _another_ shoot. Karl laughed. Of course Genzo wasn't giving up.

"Forget it, Genzo - you're just not a striker - well, in video game form, anyway." Karl said, a shrewd smile on his face.

Genzo, stubborn as ever, even when it came to video games, hit restart and said: "Best two out of three."

And then, all of a sudden - CRAAACK -_ BOOOM_! - Genzo and Karl both jumped in their seats as a blast of lightening careened across the sky before leaving the before leaving the complex, and the apartment in total darkness.

Genzo groaned. "It figures!"

Karl laughed. "And still reigning champion - Karl Heinz-Schneider, Japan's Super Great Goalkeeper". He stretched his arms up in triumph in the darkness.

Genzo laughed. "Smart ass." He said, giving a smirk that Karl couldn't see. "Well, I'll go find a flashlight and some candles." He stood up, hoping he wouldn't bump into or trip over anything. He carefully made his way towards the hall closet where he knew there were emergency candles and a flashlight.

As he lit one of the candles and placed it on the dining room table, he just remembered something: "Oh - Karl, I just remembered - your Mother called earlier, looking for you."

"_Really?_" Karl replied, obviously not pleased to hear it. "What did she say?" He said stiffly.

"Well...she was wondering where you were; She was worried when I told her you weren't at practice." Genzo said. He waited for Karl to answer, but Karl remained silent as he lit one of the candles Genzo handed him, placing it in the candleholder on the coffee table. After a minute or two of awkward silence, Genzo ventured, "...Aren't you going to call her?"

"Why should I?" Karl replied bitterly.

"Karl..." Genzo said, surprised and puzzled at Karl's attitude towards his mother. For as upset as Karl was about about the situation between his parents, he never held any hostility towards either of them. At least, none that Genzo could tell. But now...

"So she doesn't worry." Genzo replied. "So she knows you're safe." It pained Genzo to see Karl like this; He knew that Karl's mother loved her son, but this whole divorce situation was making things difficult for everyone. Making enemies out of friends....

Karl sniffed, "like she cares...." Karl lit another candle. "Trust me Genzo, it's just for show. She doesn't care about what happens to me. She just wants to get this divorce overwith, so she'll be rid of my Dad and me."

"Are you sure about that, Karl?" Genzo asked dubiously, remembering his conversation with Mrs. Schneider. "Because when I spoke to her, she certainly didn't act as if she didn't care about you. She sounded really worried about you."

"I told you, it's just a front, Genzo. When I tried to talk to her about Dad, she just shut me out. She didn't want to talk about it, not even with her own son." Karl said, clearly upset. He turned to Genzo, his crystal blue eyes reflecting the soft candlelight. "It's like she just doesn't want to be bothered when it comes to me. Or Dad. She didn't even want to come to our game with Bremen, remember?"

"Yeah, I know, but..." Genzo replied. "Didn't she have to work or something?"

"So? She could have stopped by during her lunch hour." Karl shook his head. "I always come last with her. She makes time for Marie, but where I'm concerned, all she has are excuses."

Genzo regarded his friend sadly. He wished there was something he could say to make him feel better; To make sense of all of this. He couldn't imagine Karl's own mother treating him so indifferently. Genzo considered himself a pretty good judge of character; And thinking again about his conversation with her, she certainly didn't sound like someone who just didn't _care._

_"_I don't know...maybe...Maybe now she realizes how she treated you - and feels guilty about it." Genzo offered in way of an explanaition. "Everybody makes mistakes, Karl. Nobody is perfect - and least of all, parents." He said, thinking of his own practically non-existent parents. He only saw them on holidays and an occasional weekend, if he was lucky.

Karl looked at Genzo, his expression softening from the bitterness of just a few minutes ago. He sighed. "Perhaps you're right Genzo." He rubbed his forehead, as if he had a headache. "I'm just...so tired of this. It's been so long since my Mom and Dad were together, since they were in the same _room_ together...or even have a conversation that didn't erupt into an argument. I wish they'd come to their senses already....So we can be a family again.." Karl said sadly. There were so few people Karl could trust, to whom he felt he could really talk to. Genzo was one of them; one of the few people he could trust completely.

Genzo sighed. "Don't worry Karl." He stepped closer to his friend. "It'll work out...you'll see." As he said these comforting words, Genzo, without even realizing it, caressed Karl's beautiful face with his fingers. He cupped one side of Karl's face with his hand, his thumb rubbing gently across Karl's cheek. "It will, trust me...it may take some time but - "

Genzo stopped in mid-sentance, as he realised what he had just done. Fear transformed the expression on his face, as well as ability to speak: "Ah - I - I'm sorry - I'm sorry Karl" He quickly moved his hand away from Karl's face. "I - didn't mean to -"

"It's - it's alright." Karl said, though he sounded a bit nervous, looking down, avoiding Genzo's eyes. He seemed to have caught Genzo's difficulty in speaking. "Look, I um...I should be getting back, anyway."

"Right now, in the middle of this storm? But Karl - " Genzo started to protest, but was interrupted again.

"I'll be fine." Karl said quietly, his heart still beating fast, the warmth of Genzo's hand still on his face. But Genzo was right; it wasn't safe to go out, at least on foot. Which meant only one thing: He'd have to call his Mother for a ride home; And that was the last place he wanted to be, with the last person he wanted to be with right now. And he didn't want to call his Father; not after their disastrous visit earlier; His father wasn't angry with him, but Karl, again, tried to convince him to reunite with his Mother, with no success. He really didn't want to see his Father, not right now, anyway. Karl sighed. He really didn't have anywhere else to go. He thought briefly of Harry, but he didn't want to have to explain why he wanted to leave Genzo's so badly.

"Karl, I'm sorry, - really, I didn't mean anything by - I just wanted to comfort you, that's all. " Genzo said, trying to get Karl to stay. He walked up behind him, as Karl watched the rain from another sliding glass door that led from the living room to the patio.

"Don't worry about it, Genzo." Karl said, turning to talk to him. "I -- I overreacted. I know you didn't mean anything by it." Karl said, feeling a little embarassed now; of course Genzo didn't mean anything by it. What was he thinking? And yet he still couldn't meet Genzo's eyes; when he looked to talk to him, he looked past him towards a random object, like a chair, or one of the candles flickering on the table. And then they were both silent for a moment, as Karl tried to think of somewhere else he could go - why did this scare him so much? What he felt...what he felt for Genzo - why was it so scary?

"Honest, Karl, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I just - " Genzo tried to think up an explanaition for his actions; one that didn't include the truth. "I was - I was trying to ---." At that moment, the power came back on.

Genzo and Karl looked at each other, neither of them knowing what to say. There was an...energy there, a warm attraction between them, that neither of them could explain, nor deny...Genzo found himself lost in Karl's beautiful blue-grey eyes. He knew what he wanted to do; he wanted to take Karl in his arms and kiss him. But the goalkeeper knew better. And Karl...Karl couldn't stop looking into Genzo's big onyx eyes. He felt a sensual pull towards Genzo; and he let himself be pulled towards the goalkeeper, stepping closer to him, and before he knew it he was close enough to kiss him, when -

_Riiiiiing! _Both young men jumped, startled at the stark contrast of the noise of the phone against the quiet of the rain. Genzo blinked, shook his head and stammered, 'Uh, I'll - I'll get it." He walked into the kitchen, still aglow from the closeness with Karl he felt just then. Picking up the cordless phone from its cradle, he answered, "H-Hello?"

"Genzo? This is Karl's mother- have you heard from him? I just got back, and I still haven't found him!" She said, sounding absolutely exasperated with worry. "It's gotten too dark, and I just can't drive anymore in this storm. Some streets have been blocked off, the storm is so bad, there's been some flooding, and --"

"Mrs. Schneider - Karl is here." Genzo said, interrupting her so she wouldn't worry anymore. "He - he just got here a little while ago. I'm sorry for not calling, but the power went out; it just came back on, and --"

"Oh thank GODS!" Mrs. Schneider exlaimed in relief. She took a deep, relaxing breath. "Genzo, that's ok, you don't have to apologize; I'm just glad Karl is safe. This storm is so dangerous; I've never seen anything like it! Please, put him on the phone for me."

"Of course." Genzo said, his guilt for not telling her sooner lessening a bit. It wasn't his fault Karl didn't want to speak to her. But maybe now he would...

"Hold on, I'll get him." Genzo put the phone down as he turned to get Karl, he stopped in his tracks as he saw Karl standing by the entrance to the kitchen. "It's your mother." Genzo told him, pointing to the phone on the table. Karl reluctantly walked over, looking pretty unsure of himself, instead of angry or bitter. Genzo stepped to the side to let Karl by, placing a gentle, reassuring hand on his shoulder. Karl turned and smiled a little, then picked up the phone. "Hello, Mom?"

Genzo smiled to himself as he walked out of the kitchen, knowing Karl would want some privacy...


	2. Chapter 2

Genzo sat back down on the plush grey sofa, picking up the video game controller to make another attempt at beating this soccer game, this time against the computer.

"No, I _don't_ understand. Why _can't_ this be worked out?"

Genzo let out a sharp sigh as he overheard Karl's voice scale up in disagreement as he talked to his mother.

"Karl, stop it. You're just making things _worse._" He said in a low voice, which of course Karl couldn't hear. It was times like these that Genzo was kind of _glad_ he wasn't more involved with his family. While he certainly cared about them, and they him, he was so different from his parents and siblings. All they cared about was making money, the family business, and social status. They were considered the _elite_ of both Japan _and_ London. And quite frankly, Genzo could care less about business or status. All he wanted to do was play soccer, to be a professional goalkeeper someday, the best in the world. It wasn't for any kind of _status_, nor did he care very much about the money, though it was nice not having to ever worry about finances. He just loved the sport, and loved playing it. And he only wanted to be the best in the world, because what was the point of doing something if you weren't going to give it your all?

And so it was with Karl - he loved soccer as much as Genzo did. Though unlike Genzo, Karl was very close to his family, so when something like his parents separating happened, it hurt him deeply. Whearas with Genzo, if his parents split up, it wouldn't affect him very much, if at all._ And in a way_, Genzo thought, _that shouldn't be_._ I should be more concerned about my family, but I'm not_. His friends were there for him more than _they_ ever were, outside of their generous financial contributions towards his future soccer career. In a way, he envied Karl; Karl's family would never leave him to go live in another country. Even though it was Genzo's decision to stay in Nankatsu, still...

Genzo got up from where he was sitting, and walked quietly towards the kitchen where he heard Karl's strained voice. He tried to be nonchalant as he went to the refrigerator for a can of soda. Karl stopped talking for a moment and looked at Genzo. Genzo could hear Karl's mother speaking on the other end of the telephone line. Genzo wanted to say something, _do_ something, to somehow put Karl at ease, to make everything alright for him. But what could he say? This was between Karl and his mother. But, thinking back to his own family, he felt had to do something before Karl would say something he'd regret. Genzo grabbed a small notepad and a pen and wrote a quick message. Karl watched him as he spoke to his mother, wondering what he was writing. Genzo slid the notepad on the table where Karl was sitting. Karl looked down at the note, which read: "Let it go, Karl."

Karl looked up at Genzo's concerned face. Genzo then wrote something else: "Just let it go for now. Something will work out. But fighting will just make things worse."

Karl shot Genzo an angry look, and wrote a note back to him as he continued his conversation: "This is none of your business!"

Genzo shot him an angry look right back, hurt at Karl's response. "Suit yourself." He said quietly, then stormed out of the kitchen.

Karl stared at Genzo's back, an angry glare in his eyes which softened with hurt as his friend walked out of sight. He sighed. Genzo was right; fighting _was_ making the whole situation worse. Not just with his parents, but now he was taking his anger, his hurt, his stress out on Genzo. And that wasn't fair. It wasn't his fault...

"Karl, please try to understand. I know this isn't easy..." Karl's mother tried again to reason with her son, "But just remember your father and I love you and Marie very much. And this is NOT your fault, understand? We will still be there for you, no matter what..."

"Yes, I - I can't say I understand, but -" Karl began, taking a deep breath. "But - maybe something will work out...some way..."

"It will, Karl - it won't be easy at first, your father and I - being divorced, it'll be different. But, we will still be there for you and Marie. You've got to know that." Mrs. Schneider said, pleading with her son. Although, talking about his father like this...made her wonder just then if she was really doing the right thing...

"I know." Karl said weakly. "Look, I'll be back tomorrow, ok? Don't worry about me."

Mrs. Schneider smiled. "Ok. I'll see you then. Call if you'd like to be picked up."

"I will. See you." Karl hung up the phone, and looked towards the kitchen entrance. Genzo wasn't there.

He got up from where he was sitting at the kitchen table, and walked into the living room. Genzo was playing a video game, an older game from N64 called "Turok". A game where apparently, he was pretty good at, unlike the soccer game...

"Hey." Karl said shyly.

Genzo stiffly said: "Hey" as he kept playing. He was still hurt.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said - or, wrote - back there. You're right, Genzo. I wasn't helping matters by arguing." He sighed deeply. "And neither does lashing out at your best friend."

Genzo stopped playing and looked up at Karl. "I'm your best friend?" He asked, his heart skipping a beat.

Karl smiled. "Of course you are - I couldn't talk to anyone else about - all this." He sat down next to Genzo. "You don't think I could talk to Kaltz about it, do you?"

"Well -" Genzo began. "I think he would be alright about it." Karl shook his head. "No, I mean - Harry is a true blue friend, but I don't think - I don't think I could tell him what I told you tonight..." Karl then looked up shyly at Genzo.

"Oh..." was all Genzo could say. The way Karl was looking at him...Genzo managed a smile. Karl smiled back at him. The blonde then glanced at the flatscreen TV. "Uh, I think your guy just died."

"Huh? Ah, shit!" Genzo said, pausing the game. "Well, I have a few lives left."

"What is this?" Karl asked as he settled back on the couch close to Genzo. "Oh, it's Turok, from N64." Genzo replied.

"N64? Wow, that's old! You're still playing that?" Karl asked.

"Just this game, really. I started playing one day and got hooked on it." Genzo said. He then chuckled and added: "But if you really want to see some old games," He got up and went into the den. "Wait until you see this." Karl saw Genzo emerge from the den, holding a large, unwieldy rectangular box. "What is it?" Karl asked as he watched Genzo set the box down in front of the television. "An original Atari game system."

"Atari?" Karl asked. "No -_ really_?" Karl got up from his place on the couch and knelt down beside Genzo and the antique gaming system. "My Dad told Marie and me about these. He used to have one when he was young. Telling us about how Atari was SO much better than the video games we have now." Karl laughed. "He was lecturing us about how they 'don't make games like they used to' - while Marie and I were trying to play." Karl smiled fondly at the memory, as his father stopped the lecture when his mother playfully quipped, "Careful, your age is showing, dear." Karl sighed. Those were happier times. Shaking himself back to reality, Karl said: "I didn't know you could still get them."

"You can, but they're hard to come by." Genzo replied, as he plugged in the game console to the television, and then set the N64 to the side. "Have you ever seen any Atari games?"

"No, I've only heard how much BETTER they are than the games now." Karl said. Genzo just laughed. "Is that so, huh? Well, wait until you see it!" Genzo sat on the floor, leaning against the couch. Karl sat next to him, picking up a controller.

The first game that Genzo inserted into the console was a genuine artifact from 1982 called "Frogger". Genzo pressed the two player option, but each had to take turns. Genzo played first.

As the little low-quality graphic frog hopped on the screen, and avoided being run over by cars, cheesy computerized music in the background, Karl just stared at the screen for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Oh my Gods, this is so bad! Look at those graphics! THIS is what my Dad was talking about?" He laughed even harder.

"Just think - this was high tech 'back in the day'" Genzo said with a laugh, coining a phrase from Mr. Mikami.

"They must have been easily impressed 'Back in the day'" Karl laughed. "That's exactly how my Dad talks about it - about his youth. Looooong time ago."

Genzo laughed. "Yep. This is _old school, _Karl. Old school." Genzo said, maneuvering his 16 bit frog across the street. Karl just laughed. Genzo smiled as he easily maneuvered the little 16-bit frog. It was nice to hear Karl laugh again. As a car ran over his frog, Genzo said, "Ah, crap!" He handed the controller to Karl. "Your turn."

"You suck this game too, huh Genzo?" Karl said with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Oh yeah, smartass? Let's see how well you do." Genzo sneered. Karl easily maneuvered the poorly-designed frog onto the logs before, "ah, man!" It drowned. "This game sucks. What else have you got?" Genzo raised his dark eyebrows. "Oh, giving up already, are we?"

"NO. Just this game is stupid." Karl remarked back playfully. "Aren't there any better ones?"

"Well, let's see ...how about Tron? That's more futuristic, I think. Well, for the 80s anyway." Genzo said, taking out Frogger with a grin on his face. Funny, Karl was an expert at modern, complex video games, yet he couldn't beat a game which was so simplistic as a frog crossing the street. He chuckled to himself at the thought. He supposed Karl liked things complicated. He was more adept at solving complex problems. Things that were too simple he just couldn't grasp. If things were too simple, he just couldn't figure it out. Funny how that was...

"What's so funny?" Karl asked.

"Nothing." Genzo replied. He inserted the Tron game into the console. Handing Karl a controller he said, "I think this may be more your speed. It sounds more complex than the Frogger game."

"I hope so." Karl said. But alas, it seemed to be just as simple - and boring - as Frogger. The first level was, anyway. It involved what appeared to be two 'futuristic' cars, one yellow, and one blue. As the player 'drove' the car, it left a yellow or blue line behind in its path. The object of the game was to get your opponent to hit the line so he would crash. Genzo easily out-maneuvered Karl the first time around, then Karl got Genzo to crash.

"This is boring. Isn't there anything challenging?" Karl asked.

Genzo got up and turned the game off. He sifted through the stack of games, and said, 'Oh - here we go. Karl, this is REALLY high tech." He had a huge grin on his face. "Wait 'til you see." Karl raised an eyebrow at Genzo's expression, a little smile forming on his face, too. "Ok, Gen, if you say so..." He said, wondering what his friend was up to. Genzo inserted the the game cartridge into the console and pressed start. He settled down cross-legged on the floor in front of the TV. Karl smiled and sat down next to him, picking up a controller.

On the screen was a black game board not unlike a table tennis court. Two thick white block lines were on either side of the screen; the object of the game was, like table tennis, to try to get the little white graphic ball past your opponent. That was it. This was the 'high tech' game Genzo laughingly referred to - Pong.

Karl just looked at the screen for a moment, his beautiful face slowly twisting with suppressed laughter, before he finally let go in a hearty laugh. "Oh my Gods! This is the best! Or should I say worst?" He buckled over with uncontrollable laughter.

"Well, you'd better start playing, Karl, I'm already 5 points ahead of you."

Karl smirked and started playing, finding it more challenging than he thought. Genzo's theory about Karl was true; the simpler something was, the more complicated it seemed to Karl. And vice versa. But, he was determined to win against Genzo. Thus, the two star athletes of HSV, using the same grit and determination usually reserved for their soccer games, played an antiquated video game from 1978.

Genzo let out a triumphant, "Ha!" as the score was now 3 - 2 in his favor. "Oh yeah?" Karl countered Genzo's 'ha' and raised him a "Yes!" as ye scored another point against Genzo. "See, I can still score a goal against you, even in this game." Karl gloated. "You're going eat those words, Schneider." Genzo said in a mock threatening voice. Karl laughed.

And so it went on - Karl and Genzo eating pizza, drinking soda pop, and playing archaic video games late into the night. It wasn't until Genzo yawned that he realized how late it had gotten - 12:30!

Genzo yawned. "It's that late already?"

Karl replied, "I know - time goes by fast when you're playing video games, I guess." Karl stretched. He was pretty tired - he had a long day. He'd sleep like the dead tonight...

Genzo yawned again. "Man, I hate this - just as I can finally stay up late, I - yawn - get tired."

Karl laughed. "I think 12:30 is pretty late, don't you?"

"I guess.." Genzo said, with a smile.

Karl stood up and stretched. "Do you need any help cleaning up?" He asked.

"No, it's ok, I got it." Genzo said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Are you sure? Because I can - " Karl was about to grab the plates stacked on the floor when Genzo tried to pick them up. As the both made a reach for it, their hands touched accidentally. Karl jerked involuntarily, dropping the plates. Fortunately, it landed on the carpet, so they didn't break - but it did create a bit of a mess, with the pizza crusts and crumbs spilling on the floor. "Oh - I'm sorry, I'll get that." Karl said hurriedly.

"Don't worry about it - it's just pizza crust." Genzo said, picking up the plate and crumbs. When stood up, he looked at Karl, concerned, and asked, "Karl, are you alright?"

"Yeah - yeah I'm - I'm fine, Genzo." Karl said, feeling a little foolish now. For Gods' sake, all Genzo did was touch his hand accidentally. Why did he get so freaked out about it? Why did it make him so nervous? "I'm just - tired, that's all. I - need to get some sleep."

"Well, go ahead, I'll clean up here. Get some rest." Genzo replied.

"Thanks." Karl answered, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Good night, Genzo." He turned and padded down the hall towards the guest bedroom.

"Good night." Genzo said softly, wondering what was up with his friend. Could he still be bothered by what happened earlier? When the power went out?

No, of course not; Karl was probably very tired; he had a long day, that had been very stressful for him, both emotionally, and physically; it was what, how many miles from the harbor to his apartment complex? Quite a distance. And having to deal with both his mother and his father, in the same day, about their upcoming divorce, well...it was no wonder Karl was so jumpy...his nerves were probably shot.

_But he was fine just a minute ago,_ Genzo thought. Still, he was sure Karl was just exhausted; at least, he hoped that's all it was...

Karl closed the door to the guest bedroom once he was inside, hoping his nervousness wasn't so obvious. He took a deep breath as he leaned against the door, as he waited for his heart beat to return to normal. Again; it happened again, that..that, feeling, that - that vibe just now - as he was talking to Genzo - he - he almost - he had the urge to -

_Stop_. He told himself. _This is your friend. He didn't mean anything by what he said - or did - earlier. You're just blowing this whole thing out of proportion. Genzo doesn't...he doesn't like you - not in that way._

But - but the way he - he touched him then...Karl couldn't help but think of how gentle Genzo was...gentle...a word that he never would have thought to describe his friend...

Karl again shook his head, as if shaking those thoughts about Genzo from his mind. He opened the walk-in closet door, to see if there was anything he could use for pajamas for tonight. Fortunately, he did find a pair of black pajama bottoms, but no top. No matter - he could just wear the blue t-shirt he had on. He changed, then crawled into the large bed. But as tired as he was, he couldn't sleep; he couldn't stop thinking about Genzo. He kept thinking about earlier, when the power was out...

_I - I'm sorry, Karl - I didn't mean to - I was only trying to-_

_What **were **you trying to do, Gen?_ Karl wondered, as he curled up underneath the covers, his thoughts still of Genzo as he drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

A few hours later, deep into the night, Karl was jolted awake from a terrible dream. He sat up, breathing fast, as bits and pieces of the dream flashed through his mind. He smoothed his hair back, which he realized was a little damp with sweat.

It was awful; he dreamt that he was 13 years old again, and it was the day when Hans and his friends had shown up just as he and Genzo finished their extra training. Both of them wanted to get better, to become stronger opponents to one another. And they had become fast friends in the process.

But that night, a bunch of Hamburg players headed by Hans, the team's regular goalkeeper, tried to intimidate Genzo, and try to deter Karl from practicing with him. When Karl told them that he had no problem training with Genzo (aka: he wasn't a racist bastard like Hans was), Hans and his thug friends commenced to beating up Genzo ...and Karl had walked away.

Karl sighed sharply. He had never forgiven himself for that, even though Genzo held no hard feelings. After all, if he tried defending Genzo, they probably would have beaten him up too, regardless of his status as star forward. Still, Karl tried to make it up to Genzo as much as he could. He even tried to get back at Hans in his own way: during practice, whenever Hans was the opposing goalkeeper, Karl would channel all of his anger through his shoots (which added even more power to them), just so he could give Hans a taste of his own medicine. Of course the genius of it was that Karl was never reprimanded; he was just doing what he always did. This of course, resulted in Hans leaving every practice black and blue. Interestingly, these same shoots Genzo was able to block at least half of the time - he was able to hold his own against Karl quite well. This was why Hans tried to bully Genzo off the team in the first place - he knew Genzo's abilities were superior to his own, so instead of devoting more time to training, he decided to just intimidate his competition away. Fortunately for HSV, he was unsuccessful. Not long after this incident, Genzo was made first goalkeeper of Hamburg. So, in the end, Hans got what he deserved - nothing.

Still, Karl always felt bad about that day; it wasn't that he didn't want to help Genzo, it was just he didn't know how to fight. While he was very athletic, he was completely inept in the art of self-defense. He remembered Genzo's reaction when he confessed this to his friend. Karl was sure Genzo would just write him off as a lowly coward and never speak to him again. But he didn't - after their extra practice sessions, Genzo gave him some pointers in self defense. His brother Genji was an advanced aikido student, and had shared his expertise with Genzo over the years. Karl couldn't believe how generous Genzo was, even after what had happened to him. This earned him even more of Karl's respect.

But the dream Karl had, which started out as that night so long ago, turned into something even worse for him; for after he walked away, he heard Hans' sneering voice: "Hey Schneider, where do you think _you're_ going?" Karl turned around, and all of them were no longer 13 years old; they were his age, and Genzo wasn't there anymore. "Uh - " And he was afraid. Very afraid. Hans and his thugs surrounded him, "What do you want?" Karl demanded. Hans just grinned. "Heh- we all know what YOU want, Schneider." Hans then grabbed Karl by his shirt collar, and gave him a very rough kiss. Karl gasped and pushed him away. "Get the fuck away from me!" He yelled, and wiped his mouth. As he backed away, Hans and his thugs walked forward. Then there was only Hans. His friends just disappeared. "Oh right - I'm not your type, am I?" Hans sneered as he kept coming forward. "I forgot- you have a thing for Japanese goalkeepers, don't you Schneider?" Karl became enraged at the helplessness he felt; of course he was talking about Genzo. It was as if was peering straight into Karl's heart. But - how could he know? "You asshole! You're just pissed off because Genzo is first goalkeeper instead of you!" Karl retorted. "And he deserves it - while you - you're nothing but a coward!" Karl spat out.

"Oh I'M the coward?" Hans mocked him. "Didya hear that? HE'S the one who walked away while his boyfriend was getting beat up but I'M the coward?" Hans addressed his invisible comrades, who laughed. "You - you bastard!" Karl yelled, and punched Hans in the face. He was trembling with rage. "What do YOU know about courage? You can't even fight your own battles - you have to get your gang of thugs to do your dirty work!" And with each angry strike Karl fought Hans' accusations - but no matter how hard he hit him, Hans wouldn't stop - "My, aren't we protective of our lover?" Hans taunted him. "SHUT UP!" Again Karl hit. But the accusations kept flying. He wasn't even hurt by Karl's punches. "ahahaha - admit it, you like getting it - " A fierce punch to Hans' face. " up the -" A kick to his stomach. "awww, how sweet - if Genzo only knew he had such a hero - heh - _some hero_." Karl let out an enraged yell and unleashed one last kick, as if he was kicking a soccer ball with all his might - his fire shoot - when he woke himself up (he had yelled out loud) - breathing fast, drops of sweat trailing down his body. His shirt was even damp. He was hot - Karl took off his shirt and threw it in a nearby laundry basket where his wet clothes were before they were dried.

He couldn't go back to sleep now - at least not for a little while. Thankfully, tomorrow was Saturday so he didn't have to wake up early. He got up from the bed, hoping he didn't wake up the whole building! He opened the door and walked quietly out into the hall. He needed something to drink. Looking in the refrigerator, he found some ginger ale - good, that would at least settle his stomach. Gods, he was still shaking.

As he drank his soda, he let himself become calm; slowly, he relaxed, and the trembling subsided. He took a deep breath. He hoped Genzo didn't hear him - heck, he yelled so loud, he woke_ himself _up.

Which he wondered - _did_ he wake Genzo up? He didn't hear any sounds that would hint that Genzo had. Still, he supposed he should check. Again, he shuddered at the remembrances of the dream he just had. Coward. He wasn't a coward. And he didn't - he didn't like Genzo in _that_ way...not the way the dream Hans had accused him of. And same for Genzo - he just - Karl just felt guilty about that day Genzo got beat up, and he did nothing to help. Of course he'd feel bad. Granted, it was three years ago, and Genzo had since forgiven him, but still...

_It's probably from all the stress from today_, he thought, as he quietly made his way to Genzo's room - just so he could be sure he was still asleep. He didn't need a psychoanalyst to tell him that you get nightmares from being upset about something.

As he stepped into the living room, careful not to make any noise, Karl made his way to Genzo's closed bedroom door. Ah, so that's why Genzo wouldn't hear anything; of course he'd still be asleep. Well, that was a relief.

Then why was Karl opening the door?

Slowly, silently, Karl opened the door to Genzo's bedroom, which was the master bedroom of the apartment. As he peered into the room, slowly opening the door to let himself in, he saw Genzo's sleeping form on the bed, underneath only a cream coloured sheet. He was lying on his stomach, his head resting on an arm, his weight shifted comfortably to the right, as he sprawled out on the large bed.

_Ok, he's fast asleep…I didn't wake him up…I'll just…go back to bed now_…. Karl's thoughts conflicted with his actions as he made his way ever closer towards Genzo. He didn't know exactly why he was doing this, but he just couldn't stop himself.

"Nnnnnn…." Karl nearly jumped at the sound emanating from Genzo's throat. He froze as he was scared to death of Genzo waking up to find him here – after all, what would he think?

Fortunately, Genzo didn't wake up – he simply turned over so he was now laying on his back, his right arm curved over his head, which was tilted to the right, his face against his bare bicep. He sighed deeply in sleep.

Karl exhaled in relief. Good. He didn't wake up. But what the hell was he doing here anyway? Here, in Genzo Wakabayashi's room.

In the middle of the night. Half dressed. Gazing at Genzo Wakabayashi – who was also half dressed. Both of them without shirts on.

Realizing what this all meant, or rather, what this _appeared_ to mean, Karl let out an involuntary, "oh Gods" in a hissed whisper, "What am I doing?" and turned abruptly, walking quickly towards the door, around the bed where Genzo lay.

"Karl?"

Karl jumped at the sound of Genzo's groggy voice. He turned his head slowly, hesitatingly, afraid to face Genzo in a situation like this. His raven haired friend was sitting up, rubbing his eyes, before he looked up at Karl. "Karl - is that you? What are you doing here?" Genzo wondered if he was dreaming - for this was rather odd - what in the world would Karl Heinz Schneider be doing here, except for...well, _you_ know..which all the more confirmed it had to be a dream.

"Uh.." Karl began, really, _really_ not knowing what to say. "I - I'm sorry, Genzo - I'll - I'll go-"

As Karl turned to leave, he felt a strong hand grab his. He turned to look at Genzo, sitting up on his knees, and on one hand, while the other hand held Karl's. Gently, Genzo tugged on it, as if to say, "don't go." Karl let himself be pulled, as he stepped back towards the bed, sitting down next to Genzo.

"What are you doing here, Karl?" Genzo asked softly. The sensual aura that was around them earlier returned, and Karl found himself unable to pull away.

And this time there were no interruptions.


End file.
